The term Robot is sometimes erroneously referred to as a sort of etymological isolate derived from the 1920s Czech Play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots).  While the term itself did indeed appear in the play, it should be kept in mind that the term itself had a deep etymological lineage.  The term robot is derived from the Slavic Rabota meaning 'work' or 'job.'  It is also said to be cognate to the Germanic arbeit (work).